(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication startup processing system, and more particularly to a communication startup processing system for beginning communications between user terminals.
(2) Description of the Related Art
As computer networks, particularly, the Internet, find widespread usage, there have been demands for more complex and diverse modes of use for communications through computers at user terminals. One of those modes is a one-to-one mutual communication process for use in communication games in which users play a game through a communication circuit such as a public circuit.
There have heretofore been servers which provide services to introduce registered users to other registered users. Specifically, such a server is connected to a public circuit, and a user who desires mutual communications with other users accesses the server through the public circuit and is registered as a registered member. The server introduces registered members to those registered users who want mutual communications. To initiate a one-to-one mutual communication process between registered members, a registered user uses the computer at its own terminal to access the server and acquires information such as the telephone number of a registered member. Then, the user dials the acquired telephone number through the public circuit. When a connection to the registered member is established, they connect their computers to each other through the public circuit, and start mutual communications.
According to the above communication startup process, however, since the registered user connects to the other registered member directly through the public circuit, the registered user who is the calling party is required to bear all the expenses of the established connection through the public circuit. The fact that the calling party needs to bear all the expenses of the established connection though the connection has been made for the mutual communications between the registered members poses problems in that the expenses which the calling party has to pay become so large that the calling party suffers a large cost bearing imbalance especially if the involved registered members is spaced from each other by a large geographical distance.